An Open Letter to Cancer

A different post but one I wanted to share my feelings about.
Ian

 

An open letter to cancer

Words alone cannot describe the pain, suffering and agony you cause so many people across the world.
You have no discrimination against colour/age/race/rich/poor/gender/religion and indeed anyone is fair game and up against your cruel disease.
On many occasions, lurking away for years in all parts of body only to surface and cause the most traumatic devastation to the person diagnosed and all their associated loved ones.
You can often pop up at short notice and take precious lives away at very short notice and your cruelty knows no bounds.
Not suffice to subject so many people to your cruel disease, you an often have additional torment by causing physical pain as well as mental and you have a knack for manifesting yourself in so many different ways.
The pain you cause with treatments you will never know, nor the precious lives you take, the families you devastate.

You devastate lives/ruin ambitions/tear families apart and generally leave behind a mind blowing web of destruction.

You are a cruel wicked disease and you are a universal enemy.

What you do not see is the resilience of people/ the strength of people and their families and the love, care and support that strangers offer each other in these times of pain and despair.
You do not see the magnificent research and development that battles against you nor the magnificent army of staff who dedicate their lives and professions to help tackle you.
You do not see how it can often bring out the very best of people and how people can find strength they never knew they had to overcome your personal attacks.

We do very often win the battles against you and have many many successes against you but never the war, so far.

We also do hope to change the word never and someday beat all of your cruel disease and all that it brings with you.

We are all innocent and do not deserve your cruel interventions in all of our lives and can only pray, that one day, additional cures are found so you become extinct and leave all alone from your horrid disease.

Leave us alone.

  • Ian I have been following your journey.  I'm posting from my hospital bed in Dundee. I had a right side neck dissection on Thursday.  My third operation in four weeks.  A very apt and powerful description of the devastation cancer can cause, you have come such a long way in a short period of time.

    Wishing you, and everyone as comfortable a day as possible.  I take my hat off to you all for your remarkable bravery and steadfastness.

    Madeleine 

     

  • Hi Madeline 

    Just wanted to drop by and say I hope you have a comfortable day and you will soon be on tbe way home. Its a long old road which can seem dark and lonely but you can come out the iother side. My husband had a neck dissection in July 2016 12 days before our wedding as his chemoradiation for tonsil cancer had not cleared his lymphnode tumour. Despite a 5 hour op and being told you may need a wheelchair for the wedding he stood through the service and we walked up the aisle together. 2 1/2 years later he is still in remission and living life to the full. Stay positive, keep fighting and we send you so much positivity for a recovery for you. There us light at the end of the tunnel.

    best wishes

    Emma

  • Hello Madeleine,

    Thank you so much for your kind words and im flattered that you have been following my journey so thats nice.

    I also wish you and all around you the very best and to go through 3 operations in 4 weeks is a tough shout.Please hang in there Madeleine and know that I am thinking and praying for you.

    I wish you a speedy recovery on your own personal journey and begin to see light at the end of the tunnel soon. Its a tough one, but we can beat it.

    Stay strong

    Kindest regards
    ian

     

  • Hi Ian

    such an apt letter and echoing the feelings of so many of us here. Keep fighting and remain positive - the light is shining bright at the end if the tunnel.

    best wishes

    Emma

     

     

  • You have summed cancer up in one short letter,  with All  the elements involved, anger,  grief, fighting spirit and love.  We've been on the cancer treadmill for  twenty months now, although incurable we are still living our lives, obviously not  as fully as we would wish, but our daughter's,  grandchildren and friends are amazed at how we have coped.  So love does get you through and strength and courage from within.  I wish you all the best for a brighter future.   Carol 

  • Thank you Caz for your inspirational words and I wish you all the very best.
    You show remarkable resiliance and your positive mindset shines through and one of which I admire you greatly for.

    Keep going strong and amazing all of your loved ones around you.

    kindest regards
    Ian

  • Hi Emma

    Thank you for your kind reply to my post, and kind words of encouragement too.  Please accept my apologies for taking so long to respond.  Life sometimes just takes over.  What an achievement for your husband at the time you were married, you must have been overflowing with pride.  It's great to read positivity,  I'm so pleased that he is in remission, and pray that continues.  I have recovered pretty well from my neck dissection.  Unfortunately I'm considered a rare case because of what they found.  I will explain more in my reply post to Ian.  All in all I'm pretty well apart from a slight cold,  so I shouldn't be bumping my gums :).  I hope all is well with you.  Take care.

    Madeleine 

    PS I wish you all the very best of health for 2019

     

  • Hi Ian

    Thank you for responding to my post.  I apologise for taking so long to answer.  I don't always have time to keep on top of posts.  How are you?  

    I've recovered pretty quickly from my last operation.   Still not driving yet as I'm not comfortable about how far I can turn my head.  That will come back in time.  They took 67 nodes out of my neck.  Two of them were cancerous.  The problem starts with cells in one of the nodes not behaving like the other.  Staining of the cells are showing signs of NETS, (Neuroendocrine Cancer).  I was all over the place when I got hit with that one.  I was in shock and didn't ask the correct questions. I was hit with that at my first appointment after my neck dissection.  I was told they were putting me on a watch and wait treatment plan with follow up scans.

    To cut a long story short.  After doing some background reading I wasn't wearing 'watch and wait '.  I have seen an Endocrinologist and now waiting on the results of my bloods.  I'm not a happy bunny at having to orchestrate my own care.  I will push for other tests if I think that they should be done.  Anyway enough of me bumping my gums.  I've not had to go through chemotherapy or radiotherapy yet.   My heart goes out to you, and all that have had to go through it, and have come through it,  and to those still on their journey.  Wishing you and everyone a healthy 2019.  

    Take care.

    Madeleine 

  • Hi Madeline,

    First of all you should never apologise.

    Am sorry to hear of your current symptoms and situation. Its more helpful to have some difinative diagnosis and planned treatment, in my view. That way you know what you are dealing with.

    Waiting on results/tests and the not known is the worst scenario and really unsettling.

    I hope that you get a more co hesive treatment plan soon and results of tests come back soon and also favourable. While you should never apologise for any delays in replying to posts , I would like you to keep in touch if possible and share your journey.
    I would like to be here with you and help in little way I can. Any questions/support or tips then please touch base.

    Thank you for asking after me and I keep a weekly blog here as I find it quite therapeutic to log my journey from the start and how I am progressing.
    I have come a long way since diagnosis and treatment and think, touch wood I am progressing well.

    Had my first follow up appointment with consultant this week and he and support team seem pleased with my progress. I have lost bit weight and still on supplement drinks but my eating is improving albeit small portions.

    The only side effect that I would say is still hanging about is fatigue. Sleep is still fragmented and no set pattern but getting there.

    I plan to go back to work phased return from 21st Jan so will see how that goes, but i remain as positive and cheeful as always. and still no other reason to believe this wont be fully cured.

    Have a good weekend and stay in touch when you can. Happy to chat one to one as friend if that would help.

    kind regards

    ian